Toward the Wind
by Distant Storm
Summary: In the wake of an adventuring Lord, a decade passes. A war ensues between the North and the Western Empire. The North acquires a bargaining chip in their fight with the West that seems impossible. What have they done with Lord Sesshomaru?
1. Chapter 1

A/N: So, this is a prologue. Please let me know if you like it. And review and give me some idea of what you liked/didn't, what you think is going on, ect. I'm really curious as to what you think.

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha. Any characters you do not recognize, are most likey product of my imagination, if you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask.

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Toward the Wind

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"Rin."

Eyes softened uncharacteristically. "Sesshomaru."

He did not move, yet his eyes spoke of things he had never said.

"Death will be quick, it does not tary." She smiled gently. "Do not fear it."

The daiyoukai barely nodded, but Rin knew he understood.

She had not travelled this far without recognizing what kind of situation she could potentially walk into. He laid before her, swords in their sheaths, blood oozing from his chest. He was immortal to many, but he was not truly above death. He was a demon, his life immortal until its final threads were snipped by an enemy.

He ceased to breathe, eyes half lidded, the scent of death beginning to fill the air. His head tilted to the side, limp, and his entire body relaxed as life left his corpse.

Behind her, his enemy, his murderer, laughed without remorse, growing insane at his surprising victory.

She did not spare his killer a glance as she threw her hand back toward him, behind her, her shoulder arcing gracefully with the swing of her arm. With a gurgle of blood and lost air, the bear demon was beheaded.

Rin then took the opportunity to use the same hand she had extended behind her the moment before to grasp the hilt on her left side, her right hand lightly touching the base of the hilt before she spun it above her head. Waves of seafoam colored energy radiated from the sword.

Demons on both sides looked away from their fights to see what was occuring.

She held the sword before the body of the fallen taiyoukai and let the light reveal the dark minions of the underworld.

"Disperse," she commanded, and with a quick slash, they were gone.

Before Sesshomaru could open his eyes, Tensiega had been returned to its hilt on her left side, and a demon stood in Rin's place.

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I know it's short - but please review.


	2. Chapter 2

(PN: INclude attack, w/flashback to sesshomaru's secret giving of tenseiga to rin for protection - her decision to use it when kingdom comes under attack)

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Toward the Wind

Chapter One - Late Spring

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She brushed out long strands of black hair, pulled it all back in a ponytail at the base of her neck, and dressed in the kimono laid out for her by the maid while she had bathed. The castle outside her room was bustling with activity during this spring season. Soon, the final moon of the spring would pass, and it would be summer. She smiled, knowing that some of her favorite flowers bloomed in the moons ahead.

As she left the room, sliding the shoji shut behind her, she turned to her left, toward the main square, where fires burned to cook the morning meal. She walked quietly up to the Kappa demon regarded as her retainer formally, but otherwise did nothing but squawk at her.

The sky was clear above the main square. Standing beside Jaken, she waited for him to notice him. He did shortly, as she towered over him now, as opposed to when the kappa had first been exposed to her as a young child.

"Your lessons will begin after the meal, at midday," Jaken stated simply. "Do not get in the way."

"Hai, Jaken-sama."

With that, she went over to the corner of the square and sat upon the bench, where she would have her lesson with her instructor, Tako-sensei, after her meal.

She allowed her thoughts to wander, to even cloudier skies, skies her Lord would encounter in his journies elsewhere. While most expected her to throw a tantrum when her lord left for his journey to lands unknown, Rin had been most obedient, listening to him, speaking less than she had as a younger child - a product of three passings of the seasons with the human miko Kaede. When he left, she had presented him with a pressed lily, her favorite flower. It was perfectly preserved, but the sweet scent did not bother the tai-youkai as the fresh flower usually would.

While many of the elders of the castle frowned upon this, Sesshomaru had not minded, instead nodding his silent thanks for her present - a symbol of his hidden affections, Rin liked to think - and took to the skies.

This was a very long time from the present, Rin mused, allowing Jaken to usher her into the dining hall with the castle's other inhabitants, visiting dignitaries, and other nobles who had come with business to take care of.

Tako-sensei met her in the doorway of the dining hall, accompanying her to her usual seat between himself, and one of her other instructors, General Kamashiro-sensei, who taught her about battle tactics, self defense, and doubled as an interm leader for Lord Sesshomaru while he was away.

Both inu-youkai were not fond about teaching the human at first, but time had begun to change them, though they did not have the "soft" reputation that Lord Sesshomaru was beginning to develop to other kingdoms and demons outside of the castle. Rin had proved eager and quick to learn, hard upon herself and a bit of a perfectionist. Many of these attributes could be attributed to her lord's influence.

The rest of her attributes were the complete opposite of her Lord Sesshomaru. She spoke eloquently, profanity only crossing her mind and finding her tongue in the midst of her self defense lessons. Her ability to chatter endlessly was indeed still a bit too much at times, but she kept it to a minimum, realizing quite a bit was expected of her in order to stay in good standing with the youkai she lived with. It had been two years since she had been here without her lord, her age known only by the fifteen summers she had seen.

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It was dark when the first wave of the attack came. The sky was perfectly overcast, thus providing a bit of fog for the cooler than normal night. Rin awoke to yelling and screaming, the torches in the hallway outside her thin shoji burning bright enough for her to see the enemies rushing through the hallways just outside her room. She head screaming, most likely that of the maids. Her personal maid, Shuya, rushed outside, catching Rin's awakened state and holding a finger to her lips as a means to tell him that she wanted her to stay silent.

The maid opened the door and within a second, a large bear demon had his arm wrapped around her throat, trying to disconnect her head from the rest of her body.

A pulsation of strong energy resonated through her. She was being called to participate in this battle.

Rin reacted.

She jumped out of bed, seeing this brutal attack only through the sillhouettes in the paper-thin shoji. The bear let out a feral growl, and Rin took this time to stealthily head across the room to the chest near the table with her combs, mirror, and washbowl. Nearly silently, she pulled the key from the lock over her neck and shakily opened the lock.

She felt the pulsing the second the lock clicked.

_Tensiega._

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_"This Sesshomaru leaves in the morning." The young - by demon standards, that is - lord's silvery hair glistened in the late afternoon sunlight. He sat across from her in the gardens, though she sat on the ground, parchment scroll in her hand from her last lesson of the day, while he sat upon a stone bench._

_She did not flinch, though her eyes gave away a hint of her displeasure. "Hai, Sesshomaru-sama."_

_He searched her eyes for all the emotions he could find in them. Many he did not understand, nor did he choose to, but he did understand that she felt them, potently. "This Sesshomaru has been told that in my absence, your instructors will be teaching you more self defense should you be forced to protect yourself. It is very unlikely, but this Sesshomaru prefers the precaution."_

_"Hai."_

_"Rin."_

_She looked up._

_"This Sesshomaru will return. The miko insists that it will be a large period of your life. However, it will not be so significant-"_

_Uncharacteristically, in order to save her lord from forging words that may steal away from his emotionless state, Rin interrupted. He would not return until the end of - or possibly after - her lifetime. "Hai, My Lord." She stood as he did, and together they headed toward her chambers, a place Sesshomaru never personally entered except for to show her when she first arrived at the palace._

_When they entered, the maid who waited at the doorway scurried away without any command given. Rin looked up to her lord with a question burning in her eyes._

_Silently, the Lord pulled at the sash at his waist. Her eyes widened as she watched him remove the sword and sheath of his inheritance. He walked toward the locked chest she kept her most treasured belongings in - a chest for which only she had the key - and motioned her with a perfect clawed hand. "Unlock it."_

_"Hai, Sesshomaru-sama. But Rin does not-"_

_He held up the same hand for her to cease speaking and do as he commanded. She did, and he pulled out a beautiful, ornate kimono emblazoned much like his own, but in darker shades of blue and scarlet. "Can this Sesshomaru trust you to keep this Tensiega safe?"_

_"H-Hai, Sesshomaru-sama." She stared at the demon lord as he wrapped the sword in silken kimono, mindful of his claws slicing the exquisite silk._

_He nodded, appearing content with his ward's answer. She smiled at him brightly, locking the chest as he stood up from his crouched position in front of her chest. "This Sesshomaru knows that his sword is linked to you, Rin. You know this," she nodded. "Do not let anyone know of this secret, keep this Sesshomaru's inheritance hidden and safe. Understood?"_

_"Yes, My Lord," She whispered, almost in awe of the events that had happened, and bowed gracefully._

_"This Sesshomaru knows you are more reliable than other ningens. Until I return, Tensiega belongs to you."_

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Her eyes widened in awe of the sword. She had not seen it - or dared to touch it - even after Sesshomaru had left it in her possession. However, times had changed. It was necessary for her to defend herself, to defend her kind - be they human or demon. She reached toward the sword, knowing that she had held it herself when the demon lord she followed cast it aside in his quests for tessaiga.

It felt like an earthquake was happening, everything in her room shook. Screaming, sounds of demons fighting, throwing each other through walls echoed through the palace. More importantly, she could hear the gurggling and begging for mercy that her maid was screaming for.

Rin tied the sheath clumsily to her waist and rushed outside.

She swung. Harder than she thought she would, slicing through the bear demon's middle, withdrawing her weapon from the inside of his body as he released Shuya. Even with the blood covering it, the maid knew whose sword it was.

"My Lady?"

Rin did not explain now. There was no time. "Quick, we must go to the main courtyard. Stay behind me, and I will fight them off."

"H-Hai, Rin-sama."

Rin knew her self-defense lessons had paid off, when she used her lord's mighty inheritance to swing through the bodies of two more bear demons. They fell unceremoniously. Her eyes did not look to the wrecked bodies, instead she charged on, looking for the main source of the attack.

She found it in the courtyard. Bodies lay everywhere, and there were a surplus of bear demons as opposed to the generals and advisors who resided in the Palace. The fortress harboring the army stood a day's journey outside the castle. That was no option at this point, Rin thought to herself. She spared no time stepping into the center of the courtyard, gathering attention from the castle's attackers.

"Rin-Sama!" one of the generals, her teacher Tako-sensei, yelled. In the second that her attacker was thrown off guard, Rin dropped low and slashed the bear demon's ankles. Not enough to dislocate his feet from his body, but enough to make him lose balance, his achillles tendon's both severed. She didn't miss his claws, however, as he swung back at her, ripping a good chunk of her upper arm and shoulder open. Blood gushed from the wound, and Rin bit her lip hard enough to draw blood. She was only human, after all.

Anger drew to her features, an emotion that was not usually seen - unless you were Jaken - and she charged at him, plunging the mighty Tensiega into his heart and twisting. Around her, battle continued, although Tako realized the sword she was using and his mouth hung open awkwardly. Rin withdrew the sword and wiped the blood off onto her lower kimono. She then spun, further displaying her wound, and began a dance of death with another bear demon. this one was larger, and Tako feared she would not be able to handle it on his own.

Quickly jumping in, the older inu-general spared no time in delivering a blow to the bear's right ribcage, causing the bear to howl in pain, it's growl becoming much higher pitched. Rin jumped - higher than any had seen - and tore the demon literally in half from head to toe. This happened quickly enough that no utterance of pain was heard from the dead demon.

"Rin," Tako began.

The woman looked at him, and in this moment she felt the burning sensation of pain in her left shoulder. "Not now, General-sensei. This Rin will explain after the battle."

The woman ran at another bear headed toward them, this time evading the bear's sword and left a wound on it's back.

"You will pay for that ningen. Not many can cut me."

Rin laughed. "I'm no ordinary human, bear."

"No, you are a demon's human. You are weakness. The Bear Clan will destroy you, and your Dog Demons and rule the west!"

Her laughter changed from that of sarcastic to something that could only be described as Sesshomaru-esque. The woman's laughter ceased not five seconds later, after the sword in her hands had ripped out the bear's voice box.

"You, Bear, are mistaken," Rin spoke, in a hushed, hauntingly soprano voice. "You know not of the mistake your kind has made."

He was dead not a moment later, thanks to a general behind him beheading him with a poison whip similar to Sesshomaru's.


End file.
